OK, but I'm warning you: The rumor I've heard that makes the most sense is probably going to upset as many fans as it will intrigue.

According to a credible out-of-town source whose information was substantiated by a National League scout, there have been talks about Eric Byrnes and a low-level prospect being sent to St. Louis for Reggie Sanders.

It makes sense on several levels.

1.) The A's have made it pretty clear that they aren't going to play Byrnes every day, and $2.2 million is a lot of glue for a guy who isn't always in the lineup.

2.) The Cardinals probably aren't going to keep Sanders or Larry Walker beyond this season, so they need a younger outfielder.

3.) Byrnes, whose uncertain status might be one of the reasons for his slow start, would probably get a chance to play every day in St. Louis, and my guess is that a change of scenery would do him a world of good.

4.) Unlike anyone on the A's current roster, Sanders is a time-tested source of power from the right side of the plate. You can pretty much pencil him in for at least 25 homers a season, and plugging him into the cleanup spot behind Eric Chavez would go a long way toward giving the A's the left-right-left-right attack they so covet.

Make that trade, and when Bobby Crosby returns from his injury you'd have a projected batting order of Mark Kotsay (lefty), Jason Kendall (righty), Chavez (lefty), Sanders (righty), Erubiel Durazo (lefty), Crosby (righty), Scott Hatteberg (lefty), Mark Ellis (righty) and Bobby Kielty (switch) or Charles Thomas (lefty).

From this angle, that looks a lot better than any of the many combinations we've seen thus far.

I keep hearing about "track records" and the need for patience when it comes to the A's offensive ineptitude. Ken Macha keeps promising that his boys will bust out, and when they do, all will be right in the world. Are you buying that?
-- Randall C., Danville, Calif.

Yes and no. I do think the offense will eventually perform much better than it did in the first month of the season. I do believe in track records and in the notion that over 162 games, more often than not a veteran player who isn't in the twilight of his career will perform at a level close to his career norm.

That said, I'm not so sure all will be right in the A's world once they start hitting more.

While the mostly unproven pitching staff was terrific for most of April, and the lack of offense wasted a lot of great starts, keep in mind what we witnessed in Rich Harden's first season: early success followed by serious struggles.

As hitters and scouts get to see a young pitcher more and more, they note patterns and weaknesses, make adjustments and take the upper hand. I have a feeling that by the time the offense gets it going, the starting pitching at the back of the rotation is going to suffer an inevitable drop-off.

In other words, Wednesday's 16-7 loss to the Rangers might have been a harbinger of sorts.

What in the world does Matt Watson have to do to get a shot in the A's outfield? When Nick Swisher went down, I was certain that Watson, who had a great Spring Training and continues to hit and get on base at Triple-A would get the call. Instead it went to Jermaine Clark, who was hitting .228 in Sacramento. Huh?
-- Richard F., Indianapolis

Richard, you might find your answer in a certain best-seller that details Oakland's organizational philosophy to measuring the value of a player. But I'll save you some time and money by telling you that batting average is viewed as a highly overrated stat.

The A's like guys who get on base, and Clark was leading the River Cats with 18 walks. But in this instance, Clark getting the call was less about on-base percentage and more about versatility.

With Byrnes, Kielty and Thomas already in the mix, any outfielder called up from Sacramento was going to rot on the bench. So the A's went with someone they might actually use on a regular, albeit limited, basis.

Clark won't get many starts, if any, but because he can play all over the field and run like a deer, there's a chance he'll be used late in a lot of games, either as a pinch-runner or a defensive replacement.

Kiko Calero, post-injury. Discuss.
-- Lonnie G., Oakland, Calif.

That might be the best mailbag submission of the year. Brevity is good, especially when you can make your point as clearly as you do. So I'll try to follow suit.

The team thinks Calero's elbow problem was caused by his sidearm slider, so they don't want him throwing it. Problem: It's his best pitch.

What's your favorite new A's commercial and why?
-- Tommy S., Reno, Nev.

I have two favorites. The one in which Stomper falls out of a tree after Chavez whacks it with a bat always gets a smile out of me because I've long been freaked out by mascots -- don't ask; it's not a pretty story -- and kind of like seeing one eat a little dirt.

The other one I really like is the one where Barry Zito says, "Movement is a product of that which does not move." It's funny to me because he's not really acting; that's actually something you might hear him say in real life. Playing a pitcher on "J.A.G." was a bigger stretch for Zito.